Pros:

Cons:

If you walked past my computer monitor and saw me playing Warlock: Master of the Arcane, I wouldn't blame you if you mistook it for a fantasy-themed total conversion mod for Civilization 5 at first glance -- it's that similar. But so what if it shares a lot in common with one of the best modern-day turn-based strategy games? I'd rather a developer take notes from an industry standard and build on it than try to reinvent the wheel. Warlock does work hard to establish something original on top, and even though it makes a series of bizarre design decisions in the process, it's still a fun, budget-priced turn-based strategy game -- if you have the patience to figure it out.

World War Civ

The start of these missteps comes with the diplomacy system. At the beginning of a match everything is peachy between the faction-leader mages, and my diplomatic routine is limited to signing non-aggression treaties or handing out gold and mana because I'm feeling like a nice guy... but that's about it, and it's hardly an affordable means to keep the peace. A few turns later things quickly fall apart, and it isn't long before I'm bullied by my rival mages to hand over X amount of gold or Y amount of mana or face war. There's a distinct lack of a middle ground to be found with my rivals, and it feels like the entire purpose of diplomacy is to thrust me into a war with the other mages as quickly as possible.

That interface looks really, really familiar.

That's because Warlock wants to show off its combat mechanics ASAP, knowing full well it's hitting its stride when it has me fighting other mages, monsters, and all manner of enemies across the fantasy landscape. Like when I'm sending my army of skeleton warriors to clash with my opponent's army of werewolves on the battlefield, constructing airships to lay siege to an enemy castle, or marching a group of knights mounted on donkeys across the land in search of valuable resources. It's a lot of fun to play with a variety of fantasy units against rival mages, which makes it a damn shame there's no multiplayer.

If it wasn't for the unique spell system, Warlock plays out just as you'd expect from this style of game.

At least the AI is a competent opponent -- it consistently attacks me if I get too close, regroups when it recognizes the odds are against it, and never lets cities fall without a fight. The combat itself plays out exactly like Civilization 5's one-unit-per-tile system, so it's important to position your troops on the battlefield to be effective. And if it wasn't for the unique spell system, Warlock plays out just as you'd expect from this style of game.

Lightning Bolt, Lightning Bolt!

That spell system is the best thing about Warlock's fantasy. Ranging from fireballs you can cast on enemy positions to healing spells to speeding up food production in your city (to name a few), all add a dynamic element to every turn. Not only do you have to coordinate the movements of your army and plan the construction of your civilization, but you also need to figure out ways in which you can best utilize your god-like abilities. By the time you reach turn 100, you'll have amassed an array of spells to choose from -- just make sure it compliments the mage you picked at the beginning.

Vampires are pretty good units on the battlefield. Just don't mention Twilight around them.

Like in Civ, you have a variety of different starting characters to pick from, each with their own set of perks. For example, King Lich V (who bares a striking resemblance to the Lich King from Warcraft) has a faster-than-normal casting speed, while King Rrat XLII has perks related to finance. You also have the ability to mix and match all of these perks and spells to create your own mage, but I recommend diving into that after you've gone through a couple of matches first to see how these abilities translate to the battlefield.

Hypnotizing

Warlock really could have done a better job at explaining how everything works. Beyond a tutorial that does little more than show off the interface, little is done to explain on how to play Warlock properly. Veteran turned-based strategy players will wonder where staples of the genre are, like the strange omission of a tech tree. If I'm going to pick a mage who excels at making money, I need to be able to visually plot my path for success. This information can be found, hidden in description boxes on every individual building, but it's far from ideal.

You'd think the populace would get tired of the color yellow.

Mouse controls could have used some more consideration as well. Too many actions are dependent on the left mouse button: Unit selection, unit movement, spell casting, and cancel commands are all tied to this button, and as a result I performed a lot of unintended moves on the battlefield. This could have been resolved if Warlock utilized the right mouse button for some of these actions, like most turned-based strategy games designed over the last several years. There's also no hot keys nor a gameplay option to play faster (e.g. turn unit animations off), so expect to spend several hours to complete a game on even the smallest of maps.

Put a Spell on You

There's also a quest system that carries rewards like specialized units, gold, mana, or favor from the gods, and gaining favor can unlock some powerful spells. Most of these quests are not overly complex, like killing a giant ogre in 10 turns or less to earn 60 gold, for example. But most of the time it doesn't seem like Warlock is paying attention to what's going on when assigning these quests. Once it asked me to build a harbor immediately after I constructed one, and then asked me to build a temple even though I don't own the specific tile I needed to build upon. It becomes frustrating because even if I refuse the quest I lose favor with the gods, thus impacting my ability to learn the more powerful spells.

This is what is commonly known as a size advantage.

Beyond the quests, there is an even more dynamic layer to Warlock: the various portals scattered across the land. Entering these portals allow you to pillage and conquer a totally new plane of existence in parallel with your current one, creating an event in which you're managing a variety of different wars all at once across different worlds. This wasn't something I ever figured out how to utilize properly, since each time I warped through a portal my army found itself surrounded by superior foes (kind of like the end of the first Doom) and was quickly decimated.

Warlock tries so many unique ideas, but it's frustrating to see it make so many bizarre design decisions.

I really dig that Warlock tries so many different and unique ideas, but it's also so frustrating to see it make so many bizarre design decisions. Dedicated and studious players might be able to look past the limited information on how to play if they're familiar enough with the genre and don't mind learning by trial and error, but less patient newcomers will be left on the proverbial sidelines. To those newbies I suggest picking up Warlock's inspiration (Civilization 5) before diving headlong into this magical world of strategy.

Spy Guy says: It may not be perfect, but as a 4X turn-based strategy fan I couldn't be happier to see Warlock right now. 2012 is a great year for us: we get this, Elemental: Fallen Enchantress, and of course Civ 5: Gods and Kings. Which are you most looking forward to?